# Non-journalistic Engagement In addition to surveys with the community that contribute to editorial work or are directly related to it, you can also conduct surveys that primarily serve to get to know your community better and engage with them. *** ## **Welcome surveys / Join surveys** One example is welcome surveys, which you can conduct with people who have newly joined your community. Here, you can ask about their motivation for supporting your work or how they would like to get involved. Example questions could include: > * What motivated you to support our organization? (open text field) > * Which topics interest you the most? (multiple choice options) > * Which topic do you think we should cover more thoroughly? (open text field) > * How would you like to get involved in the community? (multiple selection) > * In your own words, describe what you hope to get from our community: (open text field) A welcome survey can also be used to identify different sub-communities that can be specifically engaged on certain topics. Therefore, it is useful not only to ask about members’ interests but also about their expertise and the areas where they can contribute their own experiences. Additionally, it makes sense to specifically ask: > In what roles are you active with us on site – and in which areas do you have particular expertise? {% hint style="success" %} Here you can find a welcome survey as a template for beabee:\ [Go to the beabee template](https://demo.beabee.io/crowdnewsroom/welcome?lang=en) Are you a beabee user and want to use the template? Simply contact . If you don’t want to use beabee, you can recreate the survey in other tools. {% endhint %} *** ## **Feedback surveys** Non-journalistic surveys can also be feedback surveys, which help you find out which offerings your members like and which they would like to see added. A detailed guide with example questions can be found [here](https://wiki.beabee.io/community-journalismus/english/community-centred-methods/feedback-surveys). *** ## **Tips from the community** Another option is to involve your community in **service-oriented offerings** of your media outlet. For example, you can ask them for recommendations on places to go, cafés, or restaurants, which you can then test or curate. RUMS from Münster has a category called [*“unpaid advertising”*](https://www.rums.ms/unbezahlte-werbung/), where tips for cafés, restaurants, small shops, or other offerings are collected and presented in the newsletter and on the website. Similarly, The Green Line from Toronto conducted a survey on so-called [*“third places”*](https://thegreenline.to/tool/third-spaces-toronto-map/) *–* places where readers particularly like to spend time. It is also possible to continuously gather tips on construction sites or speed cameras via a survey. *** ## **Polls and playful elements** In principle, there are almost no limits for your media outlet when it comes to non-journalistic surveys. Depending on your target audience, different formats – such as quizzes or other playful participation elements – can be easily implemented. For example, CORRECTIV regularly shares cartoons on a specific topic in the *Spotlight* newsletter. In the so-called *Cartoon Arena*, readers can then vote on which cartoon they liked best. {% hint style="info" %} **You can find an example of the Cartoon Arena** [**here**](https://correctiv.org/artikel/2026/03/20/spotlight-cartoon-arena-bundesregierung-setzt-auf-gas/)**.** ![](https://3104887601-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FhbO2Qj4wcNeF31vh6RNL%2Fuploads%2FJw6cLpGqdOQuHZ4L3jI4%2Fgrafik.png?alt=media\&token=d0494a1d-89f0-4783-a247-5ad0ba1f9300) {% endhint %} ***

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